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Dr. Oz Magazine: Where’s Your 4 a.m. Zen?

Man, I used to be so good at sleep. If sleep was a school subject, mine was like recess: a break so stress-free, that by the time the bell rang, I was refreshed and ready to go. And then things changed overnight—literally overnight.

Dr. Oz Up at 4 am? By Amy Spencer

Here’s what I mean: I can still fall asleep easily, usually dozing off with a book in my hands into a dreamy, deep slumber. But once a week or so, I wake up at 3 or 4 a.m.—sometimes because I heard a car alarm, sometimes because I have to pee—and instead of drifting back into Dreamland, my mind takes a detour through Worryville. Yep, that’s when I get the bright idea to stress about the work I have to do and the relationships I have to fix and the bills I have to pay. And the more I worry, the more awake I feel, and the more stressed out I get about how tired I’ll be the next day—you know, when I have work to do and relationships to fix and bills to pay! It can take me an hour or two to fall asleep again, and by morning when my alarm goes off, I’m groggy, foggy, and annoyed. Plus, those problems I tossed and turned over? They don’t even seem as big a deal anymore—and I’m mad at myself for losing sleep over them!

DROZSleepStoryCOVER

Now, let me guess: This has happened to you, too, right? If so, check out my cover story for the January/February 2015 issue of Dr. Oz The Good Life magazine: Turn Off Stress So You Can Sleep.

I got to speak with the biggest experts in the sleep and insomnia fields, who helped me understand 1) why we wake in the night 2) what’s keeping us up 3) how to fall back asleep and 4) how to avoid middle-of-the-night wake-ups in the first place.

The advice has helped me immensely in my own life, and I hope the piece helps you, too. Pick up the Jan/Feb 2015 issue of Dr. Oz The Good Life to see if it works for you, too.

Sweet dreams,

—Amy